Citizens Welcomes New Board Members

1/9/2014

INDIANAPOLIS – Citizens Energy Group announces today two new members will join its Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

The function of the five-member Board of Trustees is to fill vacancies in both of Citizens' trustee and director group. The nine-member Board of Directors are responsible for appointing the officers of the utility. They are also responsible for management and financial oversight at Citizens.

Joseph Whitsett is the newest member of Citizens’ Board of Directors. Whitsett replaces Jim McClelland who served for served six years with the Board of Trustees and seven years with the Board of Directors, including serving as president in 2013.

Whitsett is the founder of The Whitsett Group, LLC, a full-service real estate development company in Indianapolis. Prior to forming The Whitsett Group, Whitsett worked as a partner at Ice Miller in its tax group.

Whitsett is recognized as a champion of the affordable housing movement in Indianapolis and has been instrumental in creating housing options for senior citizens on a fixed income. He has advised numerous not for profits throughout the city on providing affordable housing in their communities to meet local needs.

Whitsett was a co-chair of the Super Bowl 2012 Legacy Housing Committee and serves on the Board of Directors for both the John H. Boner Community Center, Inc. and Canopy, Inc. Whitsett has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a law degree, both from Indiana University.

Brian Williams is the newest member of Citizens’ Board of Trustees. Williams replaces Kathryn Betley who served on the Board of Trustees for nine years.

Williams is the Senior Pastor at University United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. Prior to coming to University United Methodist, Williams was the Pastor of Mission and Outreach at North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, a pastor at Granville-Vance Charge United Methodist Church in Oxford, North Carolina and a chaplain intern at John Umstead Hospital in Butner, North Carolina.

Williams is a well respected religious leader in the faith-based community. He brings both experiences from the business world and a passion for community based ministries to his outreach efforts, which are targeted to impact the quality of life for those living in poverty, addiction, homelessness, incarceration and re-entry.

Williams serves on various boards including the Mid North Food Pantry, Intercollegiate YMCA, and Rejuvenate Grant/Indiana United Methodist Foundation. Williams has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Purdue University, an MBA from University of Michigan and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School.

“Mr. Whitsett and Mr. Williams bring unique talents from the business and faith-based worlds to the Citizens’ Board of Directors and Trustees,” said Dan Evans, President of Citizens’ Board of Trustees. “As we look forward to their contributions, we are very thankful for the service provided by Mr. McClelland and Ms. Betley.”

About Citizens Energy Group

Citizens Energy Group provides safe and reliable utility services to about 800,000 people in the Indianapolis area. Citizens operates its utilities only for the benefit of customers and the community. Additional information is available online at Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - YouTube